Friday fun

5:35 am (Hawaii). Every time I start to hunch that AAPL will give back a chunk of today's gain, buyers step in and keep shares up in the clouds. AAPL up 1.8% to 351.19, a bit off its high, but holding up with strength. The market is up nicely so far, but some of the early gainers like WNR have lost some footing. WNR had been up more than 6% earlier and is now +4.1%, still the leader on my watch list.

The watch list is fully bullish at 75% green. Volatility is almost non-existent, but the skeptic in me says this might be the calm before the storm. Or is this lull in global tragedy going to extend after the recent crises?

Speaking of clouds, the North Carolina data center of Apple is becoming more interesting by the day. Is this about iTunes and the "locker"? Or will the A5 chip provide gaming on a whole new level? Both and more, probably. The long term looks solid for Apple. The short term for my position is undetermined. I may be 20 bucks late or 20 bucks early. I might close it in a minute. Maybe the hedge funds empty out and lock in profits, then get back in cheaper next week before end-of-the-month window dressing. I'm looking for any sensible reason to sell and book a decent profit on yesterday's AAPL buy, but it won't let me yet.

Update 7:13 am (Hawaii). Sold the AAPL position at 350.65, well off the HOD (351.84), but I wanted to lock in a decent (small) profit (7/10ths of 1% of my roll). It's purely psychological. Good confidence builder whether I want to acknowledge the fact or not. I like the way my electronic broker hangs on and gets me a good price both on the buy (346.75 yesterday afterhours) and sell while asks and bids are working against me.

AAPL drifting, probably on stop-loss orders, down to 350.42 now. Not swaying one way or the other on a possible re-entry. Even with the nice run this week, AAPL is roughly in the middle of its near-term trading range. iPad 2 global mania vs. Japan nuclear crisis + Middle East burning ... can anyone really hold over the weekend? Hat's off to the long longs in AAPL, the people who bought at 20 or 40 when bankruptcy talk was common. They have no problem holding over the weekend.

(photo: Tim Wimborne, Reuters, Sydney, Australia)

First in line for iPad 2 in Dublin

(photo: Adrian Weckler)

He flipped an iPad 2 for a €200 profit

(photo: Adrian Weckler)

iPad 2 stock out but lines remain in Dublin

(photo: Adrian Weckler)

Reuters: Line-ups in Vancouver, around globe for Apple's iPad 2 (Mar 25 2011)
9 to 5 Mac: Firemint's Real Racing 2 HD to run on your TV at full 1080p without upscaling (Mar 25 2011)
Barron's: Kodak jumps 10% awaiting possible AAPL, RIM patent review (Mar 25 2011)
Robert Sinn: The great silver bull and the curious case of PSLV (Mar 24 2011)

Apple drip? Woulda been simply genius

For several months now, I've kept a mix of faux portfolios based around Apple Inc.

One is a drip version of AAPL investment. What would you have if you'd invested $1,200 monthly into AAPL shares since the start of the iPod era? It's not a whim, of course. There are quite a few investors who had the wherewithal to get into Apple when they saw their kids go bonkers for iPods, iTunes, et al.

So, with a $1,200 monthly investment in AAPL since October, 2004, and counting a $12.99 monthly commission would look like this: 726 shares at a total cost of $41,239 would have turned into $108,243. That's a return on investment of 162 percent.

That first drip in October 2004 would've turned $1,200 into $7,618. Last July's pullback would've been a great buying opportunity. While Cramerica would've sold before the dip, Apple longs would've bought more shares at $52. That month's $1,200 would be worth $3,306 today.

Not bad at all. The beauty of an investment like Apple is that it's the prime hands-on stock. You touch the PowerBook, the MacBook, the iPod, buy songs from iTunes, and yes, own the iPhone. You know the quirks, the weak spots and the greatness that comes with owning an Apple product. You especially know the costs, from expensive-as-hell monitors to the $79 adaptor. Tough on the wallet, nice in your portfolio.

Of course, a great company doesn't always have a great stock, and vice-versa. Apple is that anomaly that strokes the imagination of consumers and investors alike. How much further will AAPL go? As long as Steve Jobs is in charge, there is no hurdle he can't leap over.

Even without any clear plan to leave an imprint in China, Apple seems poised to be money in the bank, at least for those smart enough to hold their shares.

Disclaimer: Sadly, Pupule Paul has only a small slice of Apple pie.

Cool Apple in so many ways

Maybe this is an undeniable sign of a bubble.

Comparing a stock to a work of art — no, just considering a stock such a glorious creation of beauty — has to be grounds for insanity. And yet, that's what AAPL is. From the PowerBook I first bought three years ago, to the Apple computers my old company bought for us back in 1993, all the way to the iPod and iTunes, and now, the iPhone, what else can possibly counter any pro-Apple argument?

It's not even just about the revenues from these products. It's also about the Cool Factor. The Effective Factor. Once I got that PowerBook, my days with Hitachi laptops were long, long gone. I've never had stupid freeze-ups and glitches with my PowerBook as I did with the Hitachi and another since-forgotten laptop from a generic has-been company.

No, I don't like paying a pretty penny for my Apple products, but in the end, they are worth every penny. Quality is worth that extra cost. I'm not alone in this belief, obviously.

Whether Apple climbs to $200, as longtime AAPL bull Georges Yared argues, is not really an issue for me. In fact, when I look at my mock portfolios, three of them are filled only with AAPL stock. Sort of like a DRP program. No matter the swoon of summer 2006. No matter the minor blips of a few failed products. The power of the Co and the stock are substantial.

It is as close as we can get to the proverbial money in the bank, especially for those of us who bought early in the year on the anticipation of the iPhone's success. All of Apple's innovation and commitment to Cool are unmatched, really. It doesn't matter whether they are the originators of a concept. They know how to take it and turn it into ubercool.

A $200 stock? That would make new lovers of art near and far.

Disclaimer: Pupule Paul owned Apple at $93, foolishly sold at $92, and re-entered at $122 with a tiny slice of Apple pie. He is truly humbled.